Title :
An intelligent terrain-based navigation system for planetary rovers
Author :
Howard, Ayanna ; Seraji, Homayoun
Author_Institution :
Telerobotics Research & Applications Group, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
Abstract :
A fuzzy logic framework for onboard terrain analysis and guidance towards traversable regions. An onboard terrain-based navigation system for mobile robots operating on natural terrain is presented. This system utilizes a fuzzy-logic framework for onboard analysis of the terrain and develops a set of fuzzy navigation rules that guide the rover toward the safest and the most traversable regions. The overall navigation strategy deals with uncertain knowledge about the environment and uses the onboard terrain analysis to enable the rover to select easy-to-traverse paths to the goal autonomously. The navigation system is tested and validated with a set of physical rover experiments and demonstrates the autonomous capability of the system.
Keywords :
fuzzy control; mobile robots; navigation; path planning; planetary rovers; uncertainty handling; easy-to-traverse paths; fuzzy logic; fuzzy navigation rules; harsh natural terrain; mobile robot navigation; navigation strategy; onboard guidance; onboard terrain analysis; planetary rovers; planetary surface exploration; safest regions; traversable regions; uncertain knowledge; Cameras; Data mining; Feature extraction; Image edge detection; Image segmentation; Intelligent systems; NASA; Navigation; Rough surfaces; Surface roughness;
Journal_Title :
Robotics & Automation Magazine, IEEE
